Learn about The Order of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World

Since the time of Jesus, women have been drawn to follow a life of chastity in imitation of His celibate life and the life of His Virgin Mother, totally dedicated to the plan of the Father. In this vocation to consecrated virginity within the Catholic Church, women dedicate themselves as virgins to follow Christ more closely. These women, called “brides of Christ”,  have given themselves totally and exclusively to God. While living in their own homes and maintaining responsibility for their own livelihood, they enhance their devoted lives with the Liturgy of the Hours, and pray for the Bishop’s intentions and the needs of the Diocese.  It is a beautiful, life-enriching commitment that has been carried out since ancient times. Some of the early virgin Saints, such as St. Agnes, St. Anastasia, St. Lucy, and St. Agatha, are mentioned in the Roman Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer 1). 

Having listened to the requests of women seeking to fulfil this vocation as Consecrated Virgins, Bishop McGrattan has now established in our Diocese the Order of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World. Consecrated Virgins can be found around the world and both Popes St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI gave beautiful exhortations to assist them in living out their holy resolution. 

As Pope St. John Paul said: “The state of consecrated virginity makes the praise of Christ more spontaneous, listening to His word quicker, service to Him more joyful, and the occasion of offering Him the homage of your love more frequent. Yet consecrated virginity is not a privilege, but rather a gift of God, which implies a strong commitment in following Him and being His disciple” (International Conference of Consecrated Virgins, Rome in audience with Pope John Paul II, 2 June 1995).

Pope Benedict XVI added: "That your whole life may be a faithful witness of God’s love and a convincing sign of the Kingdom of Heaven. Take care always to radiate the dignity of being a bride of Christ, expressing the newness of Christian existence and the serene expectation of future life. Thus, with your own upright life you will be stars to guide the world on its journey" (Pope Benedict XVI’s address to the participants in the International Congress-Pilgrimage of the Ordo Virginum 2008).

Some may ask how this way of Consecrated Life differs from that of women Religious (Nuns and Religious Sisters). A characteristic of this form of life is the insertion of consecrated virgins in the particular Church (the Diocese), and thus in a specific cultural and social context. Consecration reserves them to God without distancing them from the environment in which they live and in which they are called to give personal witness (Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago 37). 

When a woman enters a Religious community, she is then bound by obedience to the mission of that community and may be placed wherever the community has a mission or may be cloistered in a monastery and thereby apart from the world although still very much concerned with its needs through her prayer. The Consecrated Virgin living in the world is immersed in the culture of her society and lives out her vocation among its people. She does not wear distinctive clothing and her work can be of any sort that is appropriate for a disciple of Christ. She may choose to live with other virgins, or alone, or with her family, but she does not have the same commitment to community that a Religious Sister or Nun does through her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. 

Advice from Fr. Cristino for those who feel called to the vocation of Consecrated Virginity: “Those discerning should ask themselves why they feel drawn to total consecration to Christ outside of a Religious community of women living the same lifestyle, and what draws them to making a public declaration of their interior vow versus keeping it private.”

Written by
​Sr. Dianne Turner

​March 13, 2023

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Learn more about this unique vocation here.